tech · quantum risk
Is Crypto debt Quantum Proof? Cyber Program & PQC
Verdict
Cryptographic technical debt is classical algorithms, brittle integrations, and missing owners. Quantum risk makes paying down that debt strategic—not optional polish.
Overview
Treat crypto debt like other tech debt: backlog, interest (risk), and scheduled paydown. Inventory is the balance sheet.
Program inventory focus: Debt compounds until migration cost exceeds window before CRQC uncertainty. Typical classical surfaces: Legacy algorithms and hard-coded suites. Cross-read /security/program and /assessment. Educational only—not compliance advice.
Cryptographic profile
- Signatures: Legacy algorithms and hard-coded suites
- Hash: N/A
- Public-key exposure: Debt compounds until migration cost exceeds window before CRQC uncertainty.
What breaks
- Never scheduling debt work
- Only greenfield PQC demos
Mitigations
- Debt register linked to inventory
- Budget line for migration
- Stop-ship rules for new classical-only hard-coding
FAQ
How to measure debt?
Count systems by alg family, exposure, and change difficulty.
Related?
crypto-agility-program and exception-management-crypto.
Key concepts (technical dictionary)
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